31 August, 2007

I am due to leave September 22 for Istanbul where I will be attending a CELTA course through mid-December. I intend to stay in that part of the world after that, but refuse to give details because I simply don't have them. Yes, I am aware they do not speak Arabic there, although most people here I speak to are surprised by this fact. (sigh) I know enough Turkish to get by and will simply throw myself at the language as I did in Syria, which seemed to work well. Not taking yourself too seriously, willingness to screw up and/or make a fool of yourself, and a real love of talking to just about anybody helps a lot in learning a new language. My favorite Turkish word, so far:Türkleştiremedigimizlerdensinizdir. Perhaps you are one of those we cannot Turkify.(We shall see.)

I am in a bit of a whirl getting everything sorted before I leave. Tonight, though, I am going to hear the should-be Governor of Texas, Kinky Friedman, speak at the Decatur Book Fair.